THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bowed down to the defending champions, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 69-83, in the first round of eliminations of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88. The battle of Katipunan was held earlier today, October 8, at SM Mall of Asia Arena in the City of Pasay.
Absorbing their first loss of the season, the Blue Eagles now sit at 4-1 in the elimination round standings of the UAAP.
Despite the loss, the Loyola Heights-based squad benefited from a brilliant performance from junior Shawn Tuano, as the forward tallied 17 points with three rebounds and one assist.
The Blue and White faced an early five-point deficit to start the contest, 4-9, as they struggled to find their offensive rhythm while allowing the Fighting Maroons to find their open men. Ending the dry spell, the Blue Eagles were able to cut the deficit to three, courtesy of Team Captain Jared Bahay’s three-pointer and layup, 9-12.
From there, the game went from pillar to post as both squads traded blows on the offensive end. While Ateneo encountered another five-point disadvantage, 13-18, the Blue Eagles ended the opening frame breathing down UP’s neck, 17-18, as they assembled a 4-0 run via back-to-back layups from Tuano and Dom Escobar.
Bouncing back from their cold first quarter, Tuano and Josh Lazaro attacked the Fighting Maroons in the second frame, starting a 7-2 run that gave the Blue Eagles an early four-point advantage, 24-20. Moreover, Ateneo sank UP to a deeper hole after Tuano’s and Ian Espinosa’s five shots from the bonus line and Kymani Ladi’s deep three, 32-25.
However, Ateneo was sent to their heel, 33-38, as they did not find a defensive solution to Harold Alarcon, who tallied 11 points in the Fighting Maroons’ 13-1 run. Despite Ladi’s hook shot and Tuano’s electrifying and-one play, Ateneo still came up short to reclaim the lead at the end of the first half, 38-40.
The onset of the third frame saw the Blue Eagles struggle to contain foreign student athlete Francis Nnoruka, as two early baskets from the big man increased the Ateneo deficit, 38-44. Now in the heat of the competition, Bahay’s three-point basket stopped the bleeding, 41-46. However, Ateneo still struggled to stop Nnoruka, who downed an and-one play, putting the Blue Eagles behind by double digits, 43-53.
As six minutes elapsed in the third canto, the Blue Eagles’ size disadvantage continued to be their Achilles heel, with Nnoruka’s consecutive three-point plays extending the deficit, 46-59. Mired by their cold shooting and frustration with officiating, the Blue and White were held to 11 points as the third quarter came to an end, 49-64.
Looking to come back in the pivotal matchup, back-to-back baskets from Divine Adili gave life to Ateneo, 53-64. However, the Katipunan-based unit’s ice-cold shooting continued to delay their offensive rhythm, finding themselves down 16 once again, 56-72.
Despite Ladi nailing his patented midrange jumper, 60-72, the Blue Eagles still found no response to their hot-shooting opponents, 60-76. A final and-one basket from Espinosa served to be the last basket of the match, as the buzzer sounded with Ateneo faltering, 69-83.
As the UAAP Men’s Basketball tournament returns to Ateneo grounds for the first time since 2005, the Blue Eagles look to defend their home court against the formidable University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. The match will be held on Saturday, October 11, at 4:30 PM in the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Box scores:
Ateneo (69): Tuano – 17, Ladi – 15, Bahay – 9, Adili – 8, Espinosa – 7, Lazaro – 6, Escobar – 4, Lazo – 3
UP (83): Nnoruka – 28, Remogat – 20, Alarcon – 17, Stevens – 6, Yniguez – 6, Abadiano – 3, Torres – 3
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UP: 17-18, 38-40, 49-64, 69-83
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-1)
- UST Growling Tigers (3-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-2)
- DLSU Green Archers (2-2)
- FEU Tamaraws (1-3)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (1-4)
- UE Red Warriors (0-4)
